forging international bonds, clinically
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Forging International Bonds, Clinically
A Service Learning Initiative in St. Lucia, West Indies
Keisha T. Lindsay, MA, CCC-SLPSpeech-Language Pathologist
Coordinator, Caribbean Service Learning Project (CSLP)
Mona Gardner, BscMA Student in Speech-Language Pathology
The University of the West Indies
Miss St. Lucia!
Vocabulary Building…
CSLP – Caribbean Service Learning Project
SLP – Speech-Language Pathologist (U.S. term)
SLT – Speech Language Therapist (U.K. term)
CDGC – Child Development and Guidance Centre
CSLP Vision
To create a lasting and mutually beneficial service learning experience between the
people of the Caribbean region of all abilities and students of speech-language therapy, occupational therapy and physical therapy.
CSLP Mission
To create lasting therapeutic connections between students and faculty of speech-
language therapy, occupational therapy and physical therapy with the Caribbean
communities in which they are immersed through service learning experiences.
Definition of Service Learning Furco, 1996
• Equally benefits provider and recipient of the service.
• Equal focus on the service being provided and the learning outcomes set.
• Provided within an academic context.• Promotes critical thinking / problem-solving.• Reflection – debriefing meetings, 6-word
memoirs• Reciprocity• Sense of social responsibility.
Trinidad and Tobago versus St. Lucia
SLP services in St. Lucia
• First service provided in 1997, by a British SLT out of the Dunnottar School, for 2 years.
• After 1999, SLT services offered at summer camp which lasted 3 weeks.
• Currently, SLTs are recruited, mainly from the UK to work at CDGC.
• Serve on 3 month volunteer contracts
• Week of Feb 16th – 20th, 2015 – 167 on treatment of some kind; 60+ pending initial evaluation
Why St. Lucia?
• Good review from U.S. State Department!
• Child Development and Guidance Centre
• No SLPs on island
• Large need!!!
• Well-tracked Special Education System
• Special Schools that are welcoming!
CSLP January 2015
• January 12th – 16th, 2015
• Pre-service meeting via Skype – Dec. 2014
• The University of the West Indies (St. Augustine) and Mercy College (New York)
• 6 students – 4 (Mercy); 2 (UWI-STA)
• 4 faculty members – 2 (Mercy); 2 (UWI-STA)
• 4 days of experiences
The CSLP Posse!
St. Lucia Itinerary
• Three days was spent at the two school special needs schools located in the capital, Castries:
1. Lady Gordon Opportunity Centre
2. Dunnottar School
•One day was spent at a joint presentation with the special needs schools located in the southern part of the island:
Vieux Fort and Soufriere Special Education Centre
Dunnottar• An NGO that is run by the St. Lucia Association
for Persons with Developmental Disabilities (SLADD).
• School began in 1973; Vocational Centre opened in 1981.
Lady Gordon Opportunity Centre
• Began, with 45 students, as a school for the hearing impaired.
• Currently educates over 100 students with varying abilities and diagnoses.
Composition of the Schools
• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Down Syndrome
• Cerebral Palsy
• ADHD
• Cleft palate repair
• Hearing Impaired
• Vision Impaired
• Learning disabilities
Special Needs School in the Capital Lady Gordon Opportunity
Centre
• Days 1 and 2- observation
• Day 3- Inclusion and demonstrating how to elicit language in everyday lessons
Dunnottar
• Day 1- Observation
• Days 2 and 3- Inclusion and demonstrations
Special Needs School VisitSoufreire / Vieux Fort
Teacher training/ workshop discussing:
• Eliciting language
• Articulation disorders
• Behaviors affecting language
• Alternative communication
• Feeding
• Individual child goals
• Literacy
Visit to Soufriere/Vieux Fort
CSLP 2016
• Compile and Report data from 2015
• 3 days at Vieux Fort and Soufriere; 1 day teacher training in Castries
• Mercy College, UWI-STA , +1
• Student/faculty ratio – 1:2
• Pre- and Post-Questionnaire about service learning.
6-word Memoirs…
“You bored? So is the child!”
“Instead, catch them being good.”
“Teach me about you. I’ll learn.”
“Do not remove who they know.”
“Lo-tech solutions for serious minded teachers.”
“Just now means wait a minute!”
Acknowledgements
• Dr. Kathy-Ann Drayton
• Dr. Helen Buhler and Dr. Shari Berkowitz
• Dr. Kim Gardner, Ms. Aretha Cooper and Mrs. Elaine Clement, and the staff at CDGC
• The students and staff of:• The Dunnottar School
• The Lady Gordon Opportunity Centre
• Soufriere Special School
• Vieux Fort Special School
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